


Duplicity

by KittyFartingBubbles



Series: Double-Dealing [1]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Bad Jokes, Blood, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jinyoung Is A Ninja, M/M, Slow Burn, Spies & Secret Agents, Very Slight Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:50:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8539012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyFartingBubbles/pseuds/KittyFartingBubbles
Summary: Mark whirls around and raises the gun, finger ready on the trigger and aimed at the heart. The intruder doesn't so much as blink; just smiles softly, almost fondly, as if the thought of being shot from point blank range is somehow normal.





	1. 1

 

Another shot was heard and he rolled over to the side to avoid it, an expensive looking painting taking the hit instead. There was only three man left out of the total six that had been. He came up to a crouch, gun aimed towards the direction of a man whose eyes were gaping in horror. The smirk on his face was the last thing the man saw before a bullet traveled at fast speed, hitting him with a soft plop.

  
 

Jackson leaves his spot and tries to force back the man shooting at him, his rifle trained on the targets position ready to fire. In the seconds that they pause to reload, he ducks low, takes aim, and blows through the shins of one the man. As he falls screaming, blind fire bombards the shelves behind Jackson and showers him with broken glass and splinters as he quickly stealths his way back to the front desk.

 

" _Jackson_ ," he hears Youngjae's buzzing in over the intercom, " _what’s your status_?"

 

"Gimme a minute!" He yells, jumping over the desk and kicking the gun from the hands of the enemy. As he lands, Jackson kicks him twice, once in the knee and once in the balls, shoves him back, sending him flying through the display window.

 

Before he can retrieve the dropped pistol, however, a foot slugs him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The man on the floor draws his own pistol, leaps back to his feet and starts firing; Jackson twists around to avoid getting hit. He darts forward and elbows the man across the face, making him stagger and fall to the ground.

 

"Pathetic, I thought you were worth it, after all, I did shoot you in the foot," he says to the man squirming on the floor. He hovers over the last survivor, a British man, the head of numerous human trafficking enterprises. With a blank face, he leans over the target, whose eyes widened as they finally saw who had taken out his own agents with such an ease.

  
 

"You are just a kid!" he breathed out.

 

He sighed lightly. "Actually, I just turned twenty-one." And with a light shrug and a smirk Jackson punches the man on the face, the noise of broken bones echoing eerily in the room.

  
 

-

 

"Wang, nice job today. Although next time, please try to ease up on the destruction. Not everything has to be like a Bond film. Park Jinyoung senior is not happy," Jaebum throws him a warning look with the praising.

  
 

"Come on, I could have gotten him with both hands tied behind my back, eyes blindfolded and on my knees," Jackson says, smirking.

  
 

Across the hall, _someone_ ; Yugyeom, gives a slight cough of disbelief.

 

Jaebum sighs insufferably. "What will we do with you," he says, shaking his head, a fond expression on his piercing eyes.

 

"Besides when is JYP ever happy? Never, so now you could put me on a new case," Jackson says, following Jaebum as he heads back to his office.

 

"Or we could save thousands of dollars, keep you where you can't accidentally blow anything up, and put Tuan on it," Jaebum says, stopping next to Tuan, who's quietly rearranging a drawer full of files.

 

"Pardon?" Tuan says, glancing up, sucking on a paper cut on his finger.

 

Jaebum gives the man a once-over and nods. "You are one of our best, ready to be back on the field?"

  
 

"Yes, sir," Tuan says, confused, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes, and Jaebum hums at the answer.

 

"Good, you'll be working undercover with Agent Wang."

 

"Wang?" Mark echoes looking at Wang, Jaebum's eyes narrow.

 

"I believe that won't be a problem," he demands.

 

Mark fights the urge to curl his lips in distaste and instead directs his attention back to the file presented to him.

 

"I don't want to work with a computer freak," Jackson whines and it takes him only a few seconds to understand how much his big mouth put him in trouble again. He leaves a small squeak when his eyes connect with Jaebum, his boss is a great hacker and an awesome field agent.

 

"Well," Tuan says, his dark eyes glinting. "I am not the one who cost the department an absurd amount of money and resources."

 

Jackson's as heard that one close to a million times before, he does not even take the time to feel offended. "Whatever," he says with a flick of his wrist. "A dog could do your job. Better be careful Tuan, wouldn't want to lose any important documents."

  
 

Mark's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare and Jackson's eyes widened when a pen embedded itself right next to his head on the wall. He turned, looking at the piece of plastic sticking out of the wall, before his gaze shifted to Tuan.

 

"You couldn't do my job, Wang, you barely can do your own," Tuan says, and Jaebum snorts out loud, while Kunpimook whistles.

 

"I can do my job just fine," Jackson says, and that is a very sad comeback, even by Jackson standards.

 

Tuan just looks at him scathingly and turns on his heel to stalk back to his cubicle to read the file, leaving his pen behind, but before he goes, Jaebum clears his throat. "Both of you, my office, now," he barks, and Jackson is mesmerized how he can go from playful to demanding in a bat of an eyelash.

 

"Agent Tuan is one of our finest," Jaebum says, the other two following his quick steps. "The same goes for you, Agent Wang."

  
 

"Mark," Youngjae says when they enter Jaebum's office. "Nice to see you back in the field." Mark only inclines his head in greeting.

 

Is Jackson getting fired? Because Jaebum cannot be serious in sending him with Tuan on a mission, he may be good at his work, but he has the social skills of a pineapple. Tuan is the ideal agent, people are naturally drawn to him, but he's also very difficult to read. When they first started, Tuan was supposed to be on Jackson's first field assignment with him, but Jackson had begged to go solo. It wasn't like he had a problem with the other, he just wanted to show that he was capable of working alone and on his own terms. And he pulled it off, but they never got the offer to be together on the field again.

  
 

In the beginning, Jackson thought that he and Tuan could be friends or somewhat friendly acquaintances. He'd tried really hard to befriend Tuan, but the other wouldn't even look him in the eyes. What Jackson did to piss the guy off, he has no idea. Well, you did say no at partnering with Mark, maybe that is the reason?

  
 

"Alright, boys," Jaebum is saying. Jackson tries his best to look alert and professional, but he founds himself closing his eyes when Jaebum starts the debrief, he just got back and was a little tired, only had time to take a shower and change clothes. He comes back to the present with Mark elbowing him hard in the ribs, a vicious smirk on his stupid face.

  
 

"Mark, Jackson, you will be deep undercover."

 

"Yes, we know that," Mark waves a hand at him. "What I don't know is why we need this," Jaebum smirks when his eyes catch on the two gold wedding bands on the table.

 

 

"Your cover shares a last name not because they are family," Jaebum says with a pointed look. "They're a married couple."

  
 

"You want us to what?" Wang shrieks.

 

Mark lets out a deep breath and a low _moron_ directed at Jackson. "Could you repeat that, sir?"

 

"Gain the trust of your targets and get hold of the package. Youngjae will pose as a friend of the family, he will be your inside man. Park Jinyoung will be your handler, be careful with him."

 

"Why?" Jackson inquiries out of curiosity.

  
 

Jaebum levels the two of them with a hard look. "Jinyoung has a very special mood, just do whatever he says and you will survive. Other than that I trust that you'll handle the assignment with the utmost professionalism and discretion."

  
 

"Of course, sir," they both mumbled.

  
 

Jaebum looks pleased, and slightly entertained, an edge of mirth in his eyes. "Good," he says.

  
 

.

 

Fast forward two weeks and you can find Jackson and Mark reaching the address Jaebum gave them. "Honey," Jackson calls sweetly, as they climb out of the car.

 

"What," Mark growls.

 

"Help me with the keys, would you, sugar," Jackson says, attempting to balance two large boxes on his arms. Mark waves and smiles to a woman who's casually checking her mailbox, returning a lovely gaze to Jackson. Wrong, Mark, _for the record,_ is fucking terrifying and Jackson shrivels back under the sharp weight of his glare.

  
 

.

 

The amazing thing between all of that was that Mark and Jackson become best buddies after that mission, glued to each other every second of the day, taking all their missions together. They had grown on each other, Jackson's lack of filter managed to make Mark laugh, and sometimes the only thing he could think was to murder the younger and feed his body to the little fishes on the sea. It was nice how Jackson managed to bright a room with his comebacks and way of being.

 

Mark self-proclaimed coldness melted away when you'd get to know him, and living together for a whole month and a half was enough for Jackson to see that Mark was just bitter, going as far as to ask him; Why didn't you want to work with me on your first mission? Mark was just a big, cuddly teddy bear.

  
 

After that Falling into the pattern of missions with Jackson is almost a relief, even if his paperwork increases exponentially. Sometimes they are needed to retrieve something, others they are hired to hunt someone, it's not always like that, though. When they go undercover, Mark dies is hair darker, to blend in easier, to be more forgettable. Jackson is good, he is great actually, he is like a chameleon, Jackson changes his posture, his movements in a blink of an eye. Together they are deadly.

  
 

 

Yugyeom called their relationship something endearing and adorable to see.

 

-

 

Mark stealthily stepped into the dark corridor, leading Kunpimook down the hallway, one hand hovering over his gun in case anything happened, he jumped over a table and barely had time to think before Kunpimook was yelling a; duck. In a quick motion, Mark is diving under a table of one of the most expensive hotels in Frankfurt and he can't even spare a moment to think how bad the situation is now.

  
 

" _I'm going around the back, cover me_ ," Kunpimook hisses through the mic in Mark's ear, and Mark widens his eyes at the suggestion but he promptly flips the table he is under on its side, turning it into a barrier against the hail of bullets whizzing past him.

 

" _I'm on it_ ," he grunts, lifting his head enough that he can see the man shooting at him from behind their own table barricade. He was having a nice dinner 20 minutes ago, everything was going exactly like planned, then in a blink of an eye, everything turns to chaos and Mark is being shot at, Kunpimook is no longer posing as one of the waiters, they are under attack.

  
 

" _Mark, you guys need to get out of there!_ " Jackson is suddenly yelling in his ear, and Mark twists around wildly, trying to see the source of his distress. Sure, Mark's trapped, but it's not something that never happened before.

  
 

" _In case you didn't notice_ ," he gasps, firing off a few random shots over the top of the table, " _I can't really move_." There were muted steps somewhere on the other side of room and gun was fired, Mark heard the bullet hit the wall next to him and smirked, sticking an explosive charge onto the wall where he knew a vault was hidden. He let out a; ready to activate, under his breath, signaling Yugyeom that the last explosive was in place.

  
 

He shakes his head once more, mentally chastising himself for having let his guard down so readily. Over the last six months, there have been an increase of sabotage on their missions. When they are close to deeming the mission a success, the targets find out what they are planning, or, and Mark will bet his money on this one, they have a mole. Someone in their ranks is a double agent.

  
 

" _Mark_ ," he hears Kunpimook. " _The Package is lost_." He breaths out a string of curses. A double agent, without any doubt.

 

 

-

 

Mark isn't a trained sniper by any means, but he can aim and threaten to pull the trigger. They are camped out on a hotel balcony trying to prevent a war by intercepting some very important documents that contain very sensitive and secret information. Mark, unfortunately, doesn't get to do anything as exciting as usual, he just as to wave his gun menacingly until the target agrees to hand over the files to Jackson.

  
 

"I thought I told you guys to stay out of Brazil," a voice remarks from the open doorway, startling Mark enough that he almost tosses his weapon over the edge, Jackson though is ready, already all over the mysterious man that just appeared out of the blue. Mark's eyes quickly take in the man before him, absorbing every centimeter of those small but strong limbs, the plush lips, the mop of dark hair.

 

"Hello Mark, Jackson" the man spits out Jackson's name as if it hurt him when it came out of his mouth. "Here, the files." The other says, brandishing a thick folder. Unfortunately, the mysterious man takes another step closer, and Jackson is now restraining the man's arms in the blink of an eye, pressing the barrel of a gun against his temple with a practiced flick of his wrist.

 

"Take your hands out of me Wang or you will have a pretty glass eye instead of your own." Oh, Mark knows who that is!

  
 

"Jinyoung?" He lets out with an inquisitive smile.

 

Jinyoung raises a curious eyebrow in response, however, a small smile gracing his sharp features. "Mark Tuan, good to finally meet you."

 

Jackson is staring, cataloging every movement the other does. "What are you doing here?" he splutters a moment later.

 

"I am not talking with you," Jinyoung says to Jackson, leaving the other gaping and Mark to contain the laugh that is threatening to come out of his lips.

 

"What are you?" Jackson blurts again before he can stop himself.

 

Jinyoung blinks, a pitying look on his face. "I'd like to think that I am human," he supplies.

 

"No, you idiot," Jackson says, sighing exasperatedly because, why does he always find himself surrounded by smart-asses. "Who do you work for?"

 

"I freelance mostly, but Jaebum is getting on my nerves so I decided to give it a try on work team" Jinyoung replies easily, shrugging.

 

"You're a spy," Jackson deadpans, "You." And Mark is now feeling quite idiotic for letting Jackson opening his mouth in the first place.

 

Jinyoung frowns. "You don't believe me?" he asks, eyes crinkling adorably and Jackson is readying another answer when a knife goes whizzing past his head, nicking him on the ear.

 

"You little shit," Jackson breathes, infuriated, but the tiny smirk on Jinyoung's lips is enough to see that he finds the situation amusing. Jackson withdraws his handgun again from its holster, cocking the hammer and aiming it at Jinyoung's forehead in several seconds flat. It's a test of how keen Jinyoung's senses are, and Jackson smirks, satisfied when he sees a tip of a knife trained on him as well, directly over the area where Jackson's femoral artery is beating steadily.

 

Mark thinks that they will get along rather well.

 

-

 

"Grenade," The shout is clear as crystal, booming from Jackson's mouth to his earpiece.

Time doesn't seem enough to find cover, there is just enough time for him pull Youngjae to the floor, desperately flatten himself against the ground. The cloud of debris had swept over them, even before he heard the explosion. He kept his head low, hands shielding his neck. His ears are ringing, dust and smoke obscuring his vision.

 

"We have to get out of here," Mark gasps. The building rumbles, shaking pieces of the ceiling down on them in dusty chunks. Youngjae looks completely shaken, his lips quivering and hands trembling, this was his first time on the field.

  
 

"It's not safe." Youngjae coughs, groaning, and Mark pulls him up.

  
 

"Come on, quickly. Nowhere is safe, but we still have to go."

 

Mark looks at Youngjae, seeing his eyes double in size when taking a second to assimilate the details of such a lethal device. The building is now in shambles, no longer an architectural beauty, instead, a black hole filled with dust and debris. Mark goes for the double-edged knife, fingers wrapping around the handle, when he sees the vicious snarl of the enemy, he gives a side glance at his partner and deems him fine to fight his own battle.

  
 

The first punch glanced Youngjae's chin. He noticed too late when it was coming in his direction and it choked the air out of his mouth, he spits blood to the floor and stood straight, eyes bulging with rage, he lurches forwards, and dodges the blow to his ribs, ducking in time to avoid the large fist. He responds with an uppercut, the sound of the man's teeth smashing with the force behind the stroke making him cringe.

 

He gives the unconscious body a good kick in the guts, just for measure and winces as he steps on his ankle, making his way to Mark, who is comfortably leaning on a wall, cleaning the blood out of his nose. "Thank you for the help, bro." He says in mockery.

 

-

 

Jackson reached his hand to the chips, taking a hand full out of the bag, eyes not leaving the live feed of Jinyoung's mission; Mark was slurping his smoothie, seeing Jinyoung's target avoiding the deadly slices of a blade.

 

" _Who the hell uses swords nowadays anyway_?" The target growled barely avoiding it.

 

"Oh, bad choice of words," Jackson says, mouth full and Mark winces, he is not sure if at Jackson or the target, probably both. Jinyoung laughs at his opponent, such a cold sound coming out of an innocent face, it makes Mark shudder.

  
 

" _It's a Tantō you fucker, also known as a short blade_ ," Jinyoung spits out slicing through the air, the blade missing the target stomach by mere inches.

 

" _This is unfair_ ," The target says seriously, " _I have a very big gun, the only thing I have to do is use it and you are dead_ " he teased.

 

Jackson chuckles at the words, and Mark rolls his eyes because he can almost see the other choking to death on those damn chips.

 

" _You may have a point_ ," Jinyoung says slowly. " _But only if you manage to reach your gun in time_ ," he added.

 

The target eyes narrowed. " _You think I won't be able to_?"

 

" _Exactly_." Without further conversation, Jinyoung was running forward, a very bright and dangerous glint in his pretty eyes.

 

" _Not fast enough_ ;" The man snorts raising his gun. A metallic clunk made him freeze, eyes widening as he saw a blade sticking out the end of his gun.

 

" _Fuc_ -" Jinyoung attacks again, kicking the other in the chest, sending him sliding across  dirty floor.

 

"Jinyoung is losing his touch or is it just me?" Mark can hear the teasing tone of Jackson's voice but he still sees Jinyoung twitch at the words.

  
 

"Well,  guess is taking him a bit more time than normal," Mark says slowly, oh and look at that, another twitch.

 

"Age does not forgive;" Jackson continues

 

" _You do know I can hear you_ ," Jinyoung breathes, over the line.

 

"Forgot about that. You okay  there old man?"

 

Jinyoung made an impressive flip backward to avoid a punch to his stomach. " _Fuck you, can't a guy do is job in_ _ peac _ _\- hey be careful to where you point that. Your mother didn't teach that is dangerous to point guns at other people_?"

  
 

"Where did that gun came from?" Jackson inquired, looking very entertained with the scene.

 

The man kicked out, his foot sinking into Jinyoung's stomach and sending him sprawling, choking on air, blade sliding off his hand, clattering down to the floor.

 

" _You are so dead_ ;" Jinyoung hisses at the other man before a hand wraps around his neck squeezing tightly. Mark can see Jinyoung pulling at the targets arms, trying to loosen the hold, but the other as a firm grip. Jinyoung, though, grins a second later, blood on his teeth, making him look like a very crazy man. Jackson whistles, getting closer to the screen and laughs, nodding his head in glee. Mark sees it too, the glistening of a small dagger on Jinyoung's left hand and he as the sudden urge to applaud. Jinyoung always gives the best shows on the job.

  
 

" _Son of a bitch_!" The target cries, twisting around to see Jinyoung smiling at him, eyeing the small dagger protruding from his chest.

 

" _Now, no need to be so rude, my mother is a lovely lady, my dad isn't though_."

 

-

 

Mark used to be an analyst before becoming part of Jaebum's crew, and one thing that always bothers him was that hacking is a hard, tedious, slow work where only the best gets what they want. He tells that to Jaebum, who spares a moment to take a deep breath before going back to his furious typing if the look on his face is any warning to Mark, the security cameras in this place must be harder to hack then what was supposed to be.

  
 

"There," he huffs, pleased. "The cameras are now feeding back a loop to the security screens. It should give us a few minutes." Gun gripped tightly in both hands, Mark slides quickly along the patio until he reaches a door. Finding it unlocked, he motions Jaebum over and then slips inside.

 

This certain job is a tricky one, he and Jaebum need to get inside so that the other can manually insert a virus  through a flash drive. One of Jaebum's many contacts, Suga, had coded it, making it small enough so that he can shadow his way in into the system. He takes a peek inside the office, the package is in the middle of a dark room, it seems that without any kind of security, and that makes Mark's guts twist in worry.

  
 

Jaebum seems to think the same, as he slowly makes his way to the computer, taking a good look around the room to see if he catches anything that can mean trouble for them. Mark stays at the door, while the other is busy typing any sort of commands, or at least Mark thinks it's that, it as been too long since he had any type of computer work.

 

" _Are you going to take long? It's not that hard, the only thing you have to do is infiltrate a virus on the computer_." And so it begins, Mark grins at Jinyoung's jab.

 

" _Excuse me if I'm taking too long, short stuff, another hour and I will be most likely done, that is if I can disable this stupid firewall_." Last week he had sent an anonymous email to the target, which contained a hidden file. When said email was opened, it would download a tracer to the target's computer. He had now a way to plant the virus, he just needed to disable the firewall, it should be easy, but it was actually proving itself to be tricky.

  
 

"Oh shit, he has this awesome, amazing, marvelous, program that is now tracing back the file to me, I need to find the program's name." He looks at the bar, that is now at a dangerous 68% and cleans the sweat out of his forehead quickly. "This dude is amazing, this program can overwrite all my security protocols, it's a shame, though, I'm better than him." Jaebum gives Mark a cocky smile, writing the command; Stopfile:/MMSTplayer.exe/.

  
 

His smile disappears when a loud alarm is set off, and Mark barely as  time to sigh before the room is full of guards.

 

-

 

Yugyeom almost didn't come. He weighed all his options with caution, predicting, in his mind, all the possible outcomes of such a stupid and hurtful reunion. He was glad that he come, though because it seemed that he was not the only one thinking that Jaebum had gone wacko in his so many years of activity. When he received a text message with the; We need to meet up, do not tell M. He knew what this was all about.

  
 

When he got there, Yugyeom was very pleased to see a rabid Jinyoung, a flustered Jaebum, and a smirking Kunpimook. He laughed, even more, when Jackson had the audacity to text Jaebum a; _FUCK YOU, YOU ASSHOLE_ , caps lock and the entire shebang.

  
 

"I think that I know who is the mole." Jaebum let out, trying to gain their attention. "Mark."

 

"Are you out of your mind? Don't tell me this is about your last mission together?" Youngjae screeched so loud that Yugyeom had to cover his ears.

 

"Think about it, whenever he goes on missions, things always go south." Kunpimook supplied. Jinyoung gave him a look, a pocket knife twirling around his fingers, acting like a warning sign.

  
 

"We actually don't know much about him. How was he recruited? How did he learn about this place?" Yugyeom's face scrunched up in disbelieve at Jaebum's word, but he decided to wait a bit more before giving his opinion. Something like Youngjae's screech was what would most likely leave his mouth.

  
 

"I can say the same about each and every one of you. I know you the most time, Jaebum," Jinyoung grits through his teeth. "But quicker I would put my life on Mark's shoulders than on yours. Just the way you are doing this, without any kind of proof, and not giving Mark a way to defend himself, it disgusts me."

  
 

"So basically you are saying that we spent an absurd quantity of time together but don't know each other? Are you shitting me." Yugyeom's eyes grow to the size of apples when the so composed Youngjae opened his mouth for the second time.

 

"I am the leader of this group, and if I say that we need to be careful around Mark, we are going to do just that. Next mission we are not telling him all the info, it's a shadow mission, he thinks that we are going for one thing, but in reality, we are going to another completely different one. If I'm mistaken, in the end, I will apologize to Mark and take responsibility for all the repercussions."

  
 

"I think that you are nuts, don't count on me. I'm not going to lie to Mark, especially when he didn't do anything wrong." Yugyeom finally says, nodding his head in shock.

  
 

"I will do it then," Kunpimook says.

  
 

-

 

The job was a simple espionage mission, see the contents of the vault, bug the office, and leave without letting a trace behind. Mark was now busy covering the tiny cameras on the main office, licking his lips in concentration when he tries to contact Jaebum, warning him that in five he's out. A frown sets on his face when he can't connect the message through his mic and it worsens when he doesn't hear a sound on his earpiece. There's a light tap on his shoulder that has him nearly jumping out of his skin and Mark turns around to see Kunpimook.

 

His lips were pressed into a tight line, a slight frown on his face, and Mark almost missed the gun in his hands. He saw Kunpimook raise the gun in slow motion, his dark eyes baring straight into Mark's and he simply fired a shot, like this was something that was planned all the time.

 

Mark stumbled back slightly. He slowly looked down, stunned. He saw the blood soaking the front of his shirt before he registered the blinding pain in his abdomen. His legs gave out involuntarily, and Mark fell to his knees, hitting the floor with a soundless gasp. His hand came up to touch his shirt, and it came away sticky with blood.

  
 

"I could say I was sorry it has come to this, that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it would be a lie," Kunpimook's voice was soft and calm. Mark almost couldn't hear the words over the sounds of his own panting.

 

"Why?" It was all he could gasp out.

 

"For five years I had to pretend to be one of you, following Jaebum's orders like a dog when in reality he was not my boss. I was planted Mark, as simple as that." Kunpimook moved closer to him, his free hand coming up to brush over Mark's abdomen, pressuring the wound, making Mark bite his tongue in agony until the taste of blood was in his mouth.

  
 

"Why?" He demanded again, because this was a joke, a very bad and horrible joke, but still one nonetheless.

 

"Because I was told to do so. I found all your weakness, I played with you, have done it since the beginning. It was a wonder that took so long for anyone finding out that information was being sold. You were so stupid, every single one of you."

  
 

"I don't understand."

 

"Mark, Mark," Kunpimook's voice was now cold joined with mock. "I got this today, my mission is finally over." Kunpimook shows him a flash drive and Mark looks at him confused. "Always so trusting, the real mission was to recover this. Jaebum thought that you were the mole. The quiet and oldest of the team, as if you could be as good as me," He snarled with a kick to Mark's stomach, pain shooting through his body in sharp waves, layered over with the stench of betrayal. He opened his mouth to talk, but Kunpimook beat him to it.

 

"Do you know how many times I could have killed you, any of you, really? How many times I wanted to?" A gun traced his cheekbones, metal cold against his skin. He was shaking with shock and pain. "I have to go now, brother. They will be here in no time and I could kill you, but that would make the pain go away. I will let you live and suffer, goodbye now." Kunpimook's lips were twisted up in an ugly imitation of a smile, and the barrel of the gun came down hard on Mark's head. Before passing out he saw a faint glimpse of Converse yellow shoes and blue jeans fading in the dark.

 

.

 

When his head finally swam back to consciousness, he opened his eyes to see the endless white of the walls. A hospital. Mark winced. His body felt weak and oddly numb. The surge of memories came with a rush of confused panic and the agonizing pain of betrayal. Mark gasped, feeling his head spin, the image of Kunpimook's twisted smile behind the barrel of the gun flashing in his vision. He couldn't focus, the drugs pumping in his bloodstream weighing him down, the tap tap of someone on a keyboard was close to his left side, and Mark felt himself smile weakly, Jaebum slips into his own little world when he's hacking or breaking into things; his movements get sharper and he's completely focused on the task at hand, Mark always found it a beauty to see it happening.

 

-

 

It's been two months since Mark last saw Kunpimook. The next day after he woke in the hospital, Jaebum had told him how he thought he was the mole, how he, for a moment, fall to Kunpimook's plot. Whenever they were alone, the younger would feed him information on how Mark was acting off. That something was wrong with him, and Jaebum took the younger words as true. He apologized profusely, the guilt in his leader's eyes was something that did not belong there, it was foreign, it felt like an insult, but also a reminder that Jaebum was human. Mark told him that it hurt him to think that he could not trust him, but in the end, he told the other that what was done, done was. No need to maul over something that they couldn't change.

  
 

Two months and he knows it is getting bad when even Youngjae starts asking him if he's getting enough sleep. He tells everyone that he gets to bed on time, which it isn't a lie, but he knows no one believes him. Not that he can blame them. He wouldn't believe himself either, especially as the dark circles under his eyes grow more pronounced with each passing day. He yawns, standing up to stretch his legs and to load and reload his handgun for the thousandth time. The sound of the clip snapping into place echoes off around and Mark repeats the action several times in the midst of his boredom.

  
 

He sighs loudly, idly twirling the gun around his thumb as he gazes out over the sprawling capital city, Paris is beautiful on his own chaotic way. A loud explosion shook the building, the floor grumbling beneath his feet and Mark looked up to see Yugyeom's flushed expression. No matter how many times he went through this, the loud echo of the explosion would flutter in his ribcage, making him feel giddy and apprehensive.

 

Yugyeom smiles at him, all cheeks and adorableness and Mark  rolls his eyes. "If we had stuck to my plan, this would have been over already. You should get over your fear of woman."

 

"I'm not scared of woman!" Yugyeom argues, gesticulating wildly.

 

" _Guys, two minutes until security gets there_ ," Youngjae warns them

 

"Stop meddling with my love life." Mark hears Yugyeom mumble, "What about you, when will you stop staring at Jackson's ass."

 

Mark's blood was racing when he finally pulled Yugyeom to an alley, choking at the youngest words. He jerked Yugyeom forward, and they didn't run far before another set of explosives went off, blowing up the rest of the building into rubble.

 

"Jackson as a nice ass to look at." Now it's his turn to mumble.

 

"So tell me again why are you still not hooking up?" Mark groans, wishing he could slap himself. Or Yugyeom, for that matter.

 

"Not the right time to have this talk, also why does everybody expect us to do that?" He complains.

 

The other shrugged. "Because you look disgusting with each other? You guys still go around experimenting with other people and denying what you both want. The job is done, now is a good time as any other."

 

Before Mark could reply, he hears the beep of his phone, signaling a message and quickly, he draws it out, eager to avoid answering the question.

 

_Debriefing (:_

 

Mark feels the stirrings of a smile creeping up his face.

 

"It's Jackson, isn't it?" Yugyeom asks eyes focused on Mark's face. "You look like an idiot in love, Mark."

  
 

Mark sputters.

 

"And you're not excused from answering the question, Mark. We're continuing this discussion later." Yugyeom warns him, brushing dust out of his clothing.

 

-

 

"Listen up, Wang, I don't teach theory or explain stuff," Jinyoung said with an exasperated sigh. "However, it's you that we are talking about, so I want to remind you that your grip on the handle is very important."

  
 

When the last words left his mouth Jinyoung charged at Jackson who tightened his grip on his ninjatō and lifted the sword up when the other was about to strike, making their swords clanged loudly at the moment of impact.

  
 

Mark was currently eating a sandwich, tuna, and lettuce with some mayo, eyes going from Jackson to Jinyoung's fast moving forms. He thought it was a joke when Jaebum told him he wanted them to learn some sword fight, enough for it to seem believable that they were professionals at it. Jinyoung was the handler of swords and knives, his varied skills with the several types of sword made him the perfect choice to teach them.

  
 

The thing is, Jinyoung loves swords, knives, katanas, ninjatōs, you name it, he as an impressive collection and Jackson found if so funny that he had laughed and even shout out some lame jokes about ninjas; " _Mark, Mark, what's a ninja favorite drink? Wata! Get it? Get it?_ " Nope, Mark didn't get it at all. But Jinyoung did and it did not end well for Jackson.

 

Jackson turned around and managed to meet Jinyoung's sword and blocked it with his swing, catching the others attack he swept his sword in a quick slash, forcing Jinyoung to duck. He took the opportunity and used his other hand to reach for a kunai to throw at Jinyoung, however, the hand in the sword quivered under the force and he jumped away.

 

"Let me tell you Wang that, regular humans are useless against ninjas." Jinyoung spits, a dark and scary look on his face and Mark gulped, happy for not being in Jackson's shoes.

 

"Do you know what sports a ninja plays, Jinyoung?" Mark founds himself face palming at Jackson, you never taunt Jinyoung when he as a weapon on his hands. " _Table Shurikennis_."

 

Jinyoung charged at him with the blade upheld, he stroke Jackson hard, slicing the fabric of his shirt at the midsection. It missed the flesh by an inch, and by the looks, Jinyoung was not going to miss the next time, Mark had to resist hard this time for not to facepalm himself again, poor and fool Jackson...

  
 

-

 

"Good morning, sweetheart!"

 

"It's too early in the morning, Yugyeom, shut up." Mark rubs his eyes blearily, feeling his headache worsen with every passing second.

  
 

"Here." Jaebum hands him a steaming cup tea, the aroma helping his stuffy nose, making him sigh delightfully.

 

"Thanks."

 

"Next time take care of yourself."

 

"Mark loves you too," Yugyeom nods eagerly, rubbing his head on Mark's shoulder, who is taking small sips of the drink. He listens to the other talk, barely paying any attention. He wonders how Jinyoung, Jackson, and Youngjae are faring. He would go and take a look at the monitor, instead, he just moans piteously, spreading out his limp body on the small couch in Jaebum's office.

  
 

"My head fucking hurts." At this Yugyeom laughs, smoothing down his hair.

 

"Poor baby." he cooed.

 

He's cut off, by the sudden shrill coming from Jaebum's computer. He and Yugyeom both look at each other wide-eyed for a split second before they are leaping out of the couch darting into Jaebum, who is calmly and authoritatively speaking to a terrified Youngjae. It makes Mark nervous, listening to the panic grow as Jaebum's voice does, louder and louder until he can piece together little phrases.

  
 

"Jackson identity has been compromised and he's being held for ransom," Jaebum says shortly, crossing the room in two long strides, ushering them to the couch.

 

Mark sucks in a breath. "What's his status?"

 

"Unharmed, as of now," Jaebum replies, "but they're threatening torture if we don't comply."

 

Yugyeom nods, considering, "How much does he want?"

 

"Fifteen million," Jaebum answers immediately.

 

"But we're not going to pay that, are we?" Mark responds, phrasing it as a question though he's certain that the agency won't concede to the demands of the corrupts, at least not without a fight.

 

"Of course not," Jaebum affirms, scrubbing a hand across his face tiredly, "The agency's got a rescue mission in the works already."

 

"Right, good," Mark remarks.

 

"Jaebum," Yugyeom mutters and in that instant Mark knows that something is not right. He glances for one to another, his expression falling at seeing the serious faces, and the ferocious battle of wills that is happening in front of him.

  
 

Jaebum is the first to talk, letting out a heavy and tired sigh. "Listen, Mark, there's a reason why we let you out of this mission, other than your sickness that is."

  
 

Something is wrong, something went terribly wrong with his friends, again. He runs a hand through his hair.

  
 

"This mission was a recovery," Jaebum starts and Mark wants to tell him he knows that, he wants the other to hurry up and tell him everything. "Recover the flash drive Kunpimook stole."

 

Mark sees red for a moment, the rage is so overwhelming, clenching with the tiny scent of betrayal that is now becoming common. He was lied to again, he wanted to be the one there, the one to catch Kunpimook, to make him see the true, that he belonged with them and not with anyone else. His place was with his family. He croaks out a; God damn it, punching the wall next to Jaebum's face, leaving a dent on it.

 

-

 

"Well, Mark. Didn't expect to see you here."

 

Mark whirls around and raises the gun, finger ready on the trigger and aimed at the heart. The intruder doesn't so much as blink; just smiles softly, almost fondly, as if the thought of being shot from point blank range is somehow normal.

 

"Just kidding, of course, I expected you. Let me just tell you that I'm unarmed," the other says conversationally.

  
 

"Fuck you," he says in a rather harsh tone.

 

"I also have something that you want, two somethings actually, but here is one of them," and at that Kunpimook waves a small black flash drive. Mark's eyes narrow and he sees the other smirk. "After all this is the culprit off all this mess. Do you want it?"

 

"That belongs to us," Mark says, barely managing to keep from shouting. "Give me the flash drive. Now."

  
 

"Oh, please, Jaebum couldn't decode this even if he had a million years. I am not giving up this information, my boss would be rather disappointed in me, wouldn't he?"

 

"I'm not leaving without it," Mark says heavily, taking a few careful steps forward. "Why don't you make this easy and hand that before anyone has to get hurt."

 

"You are going to turn around and walk out of this room," Kunpimook says, tone once again smooth. "Or..."

 

"Kunpimook, please," Mark pleads because he suddenly realizes that there's only one way this can end. He knows why the other is so certain that Mark is going to do exactly what he wants. "Please just give it to me and no one has to get hurt."

  
 

"You know me, Mark," Kunpimook says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aren't I one of your best buddies anymore? Aren't we family?"

  
 

"Shut up," Mark hisses, the other obnoxious laughter echoes around the large room and his eyes wonder to where the package is.

 

"Oh, you want the package," Kunpimook asks with a smirk. "You can have it, the fun I had with it. I will give you that for free, you get one of the things you came here for and I still manage to stay with the other. It is a win-win situation, right?"

  
 

"Stop this," Mark begs, and Kunpimook gives him a displeased look.

 

"Really, Mark is that your attempt to warm my heart."

  
 

"Kunpimook."

 

"Frankly, Mark, time is running out. Put down the gun and this will all be over."

 

"It doesn't have to end like this."

 

"It can be the end for you," The other shrugs, fiddling absentmindedly with the device in his hands. "but certainly not for me."

 

"I'm sorry," Mark gasps, and Kunpimook gives him a last look before the others mouth twists into a sneer.

  
 

"Well, looks like time is up."

 

" _I'm so sorry_ ," Mark breathes.

 

And fires.


	2. 2

 

Everything seems to happen in slow motion. The look of utter shock on Kunpimook's face as he falls backward, a bloody patch blooming across his shirt. For a moment Mark is frozen in place, unable to think, unable to take a breath, unable to move. He is shaking, sweat trickling into his eyes, and he feels like he's just awoken from one of his nightmares except this is real life, the gun smooth and heavy in his hand.

 

" _Mark, snap out of it!_ " Rings through his earpiece and he winces remembering he had a job to do.

  
" _Jinyoung_?" he barks into his mic. " _Is everyone there? The package is safe and sound. Managed to get a hand on the device_."

 

" _Yes, understood_ ," Jinyoung replies, " _Now you need to get out of there, Yugyeom worked his magic, you've got 10 minutes_."

  
" _Coming_ ," Mark gasps, the heavy package on his back slowing him down, walking as fast as possible as he strides down the corridor towards the stairwell, keeping an eye out for anyone following him. He goes up the stairs, taking a moment to peek out the corner. The hallway seems empty, so he kicks the door open and runs through, gun poised in front of him, his other hand on the package.

 

He passes several rows of closed doors on his way back to the roof. When he is almost there, already able to taste the freedom on the tip of his tongue, Jaebum whispers in his ear a three o'clock and Mark snarled, gun aimed, finger tapping the trigger over and over, bullet after bullet flying through the air. He watches as the first bullet is avoided by an inch, but lets out a cold smile when the second and third bullet slammed into the target.

 

The helicopter blades beat loudly as Mark grabs the ladder, hoisting himself and the package.

  
" _Mark, come on_!" Yugyeom is shrieking into his earpiece, " _Detonation in forty-five_!"

 

He groans, throwing the package over his shoulder haphazardly and scrambles up the ropes fast.

  
" _Thirty seconds, Mark_ ," Youngjae warns, monitoring the time, his next words are cut off, by Mark' arrival at the chopper's open side door.

  
"Stop nagging and help me in," Mark grits, grimacing as everyone scrambles to help him and a second later the door slams shut and the entire team appears to release a collective sigh of relief. Mark, on the other hand, buzzing, the adrenaline coursing through his veins making him let out a maniac grin, but his shoulders still tense. The tiny veil of anxiety fades after a few minutes when the pilot announces that they're away from the danger zone. Mark opens his mouth to congratulate his team on a successful mission, but Jaebum cuts him off immediately with an icy glare.

 

"What?" Mark asks innocently.

  
"Shut the fuck up," Jinyoung hisses in reply, hugging Mark fiercely instead.

  
"Don't you ever come that fucking close to dying again, do you hear me?" Jaebum lets out in fury.

 

"I'm fine," he reassures, wincing at the deafening sound of the second explosion, glancing over at Jaebum, who is busy assessing the unconscious body on the floor, Mark can feel the disapproval in his voice tone.

  
"You ignored safety protocol and engaged a dozen of targets alone."

  
Mark winces. "About that..."

  
Jaebum just holds up a hand to silence him, "It put everyone in danger, not just you."

  
"What they were doing to him," he all but whispers, choking down the sob that threatens to shake free from his lips, "…I had to watch as..."

  
"Shh," Yugyeom interrupts, and Youngjae pines Jaebum with a vicious glare. Mark shudders when Jinyoung puts a hand on his shoulder at first, but moments later he sinks into the others side. The adrenaline had all but seeped out of him, leaving him shaky and unstable.

  
"Jaebum hacked into the video feed about three days in," Jinyoung explains after a moment, visibly swallowing at the sight at the body lying on the floor, covered in bruises and blood. "We know."

  
Jinyoung averts his attention to the battered and bruised hostage. Youngjae is kneeling before the slumped form, treating the most severe cuts and burns.

 

Mark cannot help the memories that come to mind; the darkness and overwhelming stench of putrefaction in the basement, and Jackson, his best friend but so much more too, so young and so perpetually happy and hyper, bound down and screaming, always screaming… For five days, he'd stared at the scene helplessly, disguised as a guard and waiting for orders.

  
But he couldn't hear them any longer, he just could not wait several days of watching and seeing Jackson being tortured. He had no mercy when he killed them all, relishing in the pain, screams and panic in their eyes. He shoot each and every one of those bastards without his usual clinical precision. He wanted them to feel what Jackson had. He blinked suddenly, feeling warm moister in his eyes and cursed when the feeling got harder to control because they had been betrayed by one of their own. Mark had killed one of his. Shot him at cold blood, watched the light fade of the familiar eyes.

 

"Are you alright?" Jaebum asks, dragging him out of the depths of his dark thoughts. He turns back to face the group, immediately greeted by four sets of haggard faces and weary eyes.

  
Mark nods shakily, "I'm alive, we are alive" he repeats aloud, allowing himself a break in his grief to savor the words.

  
"Yes both of you," Youngjae agrees pointedly, "You managed the impossible."

  
Mark smiles even if he feels like breaking down, the fatigue and exhaustion making themselves known.

  
"I'm going to sleep now," he says softly in reply, humming gratefully as Jinyoung gestures to his lap. Mark snuggles against the lap, reaching a hand towards Jackson filthy hair, he sighs when he touches him, letting his last thought being that they were both safe.

  
-

  
Mark's been hanging around the office a lot ever since he got back, begging Youngjae for a new assignment, asking if he can join on anything, he would do anything. He doesn't care anymore as long as it gets him out of his small apartment, out of the stupid base, and out of the way of Jackson Wang, who Mark still haven't had the decency to visit.

  
"For the last time, would you stop?" Youngjae asks when he sees Mark approaching his desk. "Boss thinks you need a break after that, potentially emotionally traumatizing mission, and it's barely been a two weeks! Take a break, live a little, have some fun, what is wrong with you?"

  
"Nothing is wrong with me," Mark sniffs, leaning against Youngjae's desk. "Gaming again? What are you even getting paid for?"

  
"I may be taking a break from the whole international spy thing," Youngjae says, giving Mark a dark look. "But that doesn't mean I still can't kill you in under ten seconds."

  
"Ha! I'd like to see you try," Mark laughs, but he steps back from the other just in case. They stay like that, glancing at each other every other moment, for a few minutes. The air dense with unsaid words and thoughts.

  
"Mark," the younger sighs heavily. "You have to stop running away."

  
But Mark shakes his head slowly, he is so afraid, scared... "How is he?" He barely manages to choke out.

  
Youngjae bites his lip, says, "He's still in serious condition, but they say he's stable."

  
Mark nods wordlessly.

  
"He'll recover just fine, Mark," Youngjae promises, pushing him to a chair next to him, a comforting hand on Mark's thigh.

  
Mark smiles softly at the touch but it doesn't reach his eyes. Youngjae doesn't appear to notice, pats his leg twice as he beams, "God, you were amazing back there, though."

 

-

  
_Eyelids swollen nearly shut, hair falling from the front of his forehead in thin clumps, blood all over his face, that happy smile covered by cries that came from deep within his chest, animalistic sounds that twist into raspy moans by the time they left his cracked lips._

  
_Emotionless expressions frozen on his face, Kunpimook circles around like a predator hunting down his prey. Jackson coughs violently sending a spray of crimson blood onto the dirty tiles, he receives a slap to the face in return and tries to wrench his arms free, the bounds digging into his flesh._

 

_"He is watching, Jackson, but he won't come for you."_

 

Mark did not sleep again that night...

 

-

  
Scars can be a source of great pain, the reminder of a wound long after it happened. They can be a source of shame and disgust, but also be a source of pride. A nick, a cut, a slice, can mean so much more then others would think. Mark always told him; Scars have a long memory. He used to do it whenever Jackson would reach a finger to run smoothly across the long and mismatched patch of skin in his calf. Jackson loves to feel the roughness of it under the pad of his fingers, if he could he would constantly pass his finger on it, watching Mark squirm under his touch.

 

Here he is now, in only nothing but his boxers, looking himself at the mirror, cataloging his scars. Left side of his neck, the folding knife that he used, was not sharp enough, it left a piece of ragged and uneven skin behind. Sometimes Jackson would touch it just to remind himself that he was, indeed, alive. He was stuck in a vortex, he could fight, kick, punch, but no matter what, there were times that Jackson would wonder.

  
He missed Mark like someone misses that childhood friend that knows every little quirk about yourself. When you miss the other half of your soul, the other part that helps you to function and gives you strength to carry on. He had seen Mark when he was in that place. It helped him, Jackson knew that they would come for him, and when he saw Mark, just a glimpse of those haunted eyes, the pain and disgust on them, he knew that it would not take long, the only thing he had to do was wait and endure it just for a little longer.

 

Some say it's not fair how Mark is acting towards him, but Jackson thinks it's damn normal to be like that after days of hearing and seeing what Mark saw, without being able to give a hand, to make everything stop, no more hurt and screams. Mark was there from the beginning to the end, he was the one that made it possible for Jackson to be alive. Mark saved him, and Jackson wanted to do the same for the other.

  
His phone gave a beep, warning him of an incoming message, and there it was salvation. The simple; _(:_ , that Jackson got in response was all he could ask for, it took time, but Mark texted him back, Jackson could not ask for anything else.

 

-

  
Mark taps on a video Jaebum sent him and watches as a male figure, clad in a dark gray tuxedo, carrying a large suitcase, casually strolls up to the doorway of his hotel room, swipes the electronic key card, and disappears inside for approximately three minutes before exiting just as quickly as he came, without the suitcase.

  
Mark pauses the footage to try and see a face, but the video quality is thickly pixelated. He sighs in frustration and sends back a message of his own.

 

 _Could you at least try to give me a decent image? Should I go take a walk_?

 

 _Not safe is the immediate_ reply, and Mark rolls his eyes. He could literally be on the safest local on planet heart and Jinyoung would still consider it dangerous. We've called a team to secure the area, stay where you are and proceed with the mission as normal. Reads the rest of the message.

  
_Yes, mother_. Mark responds just to antagonize and slips his phone back into his pocket.

 

He focuses his attention back on his target instead 55 years old man, armed, with unknown connections to intelligence agencies. He as been assigned to map out the man's routine so that a planned abduction and interrogation could occur.

 

So far, the suspect's behavior has been boringly simple. After three days Mark knows that his target arrives at this restaurant for lunch at precisely 13:15, sits outside at an isolated corner table, orders the same meal, drinks one cup of lemon iced tea while reading a newspaper, and leaves by 14:00. Mark fights the urge to sigh aloud and wishes for a mission that wasn't so effortless on his part. Which is precisely the moment that the suspect collapses face first into his food, a bullet hole right between the back of his head.

 

The entire restaurant erupts into chaos with panicked citizens running around screaming in hysteria. Mark ignores the crowd's reaction and stands slowly and calmly, making his way over to the victim. Whoever shot the man probably doesn't even know that Mark' undercover. A loud bang echoed from somewhere from his right, and he ducked, seeing the bullet slam into the glass door behind him, showering the area in shiny pieces. Less than a second after, he straightened up and fired. The shooter slammed back against the wall, a bullet lodged in his right eye before he slid to the floor.

  
He glances around briefly, noting the now empty restaurant and the faint sound of police sirens in the distance. He already pressed the button on his mobile alerting his backup to his current location. He goes through the standard procedure in his head as he strolls leisurely to his assigned pick up point. The loud rumbling of an approaching black van shakes Mark from his thoughts, and he hops in quickly. There's a sudden loud cough from somewhere in his proximity and he jerks back up in surprise at the sight of an all-too-familiar face.

  
"Yugyeom!" He says, a grin settling on his face.

  
"It's been a while," The younger remarks easily, thinking back to their last meet up.

  
"Couple weeks, yeah,"Mark affirms.

  
Yugyeom just shakes his head fondly at him, before asking, "Reconnaissance? Or the other way around?"

  
Mark hesitates, gesturing to the red stains on his hands, from when he went to feel for a pulse in his target. "I took care of it." He retorts in what he hopes appears to be a casual manner.

  
Yugyeom levels him with the same concerned he's been receiving from Jinyoung for the last couple of months.

  
"Mark… you've been taking a lot of those missions lately, haven't you?"

  
Mark attempts a shrug of nonchalance, slumping casually against the van. "So what if I have? In the end, he was dead anyway."

 

Yugyeom shakes his head in response. "I know you, Mark. I've known you since our days at the academy, and you hated all that bullshit of killing without a reason. You are one of the few that are on the job to help others so enlighten me, what changed?"

 

Mark bites his lip and sighs deeply. "Two months ago," he says slowly, noting the spark of recognition in the others eyes, "They were torturing Jackson, and I had to sit there and watch. Day after day, just standing there in the darkness and listening to the screams of all the people they had chained down in that place. I don't know, I only can say this, I do not regret killing them mercilessly. They deserved worse."

 

Yugyeom is quiet for a long time, just staring back at him and Mark feels as if his skin is being stripped layer by layer, feeling small and defenseless under the scrutiny of Yugyeom's glare.

  
"Jackson's fine, Mark," Yugyeom says patiently, "He took a bit of time off and he will come back cheery as ever. In fact, I remember him saying that he would hunt you down for ignoring his fantastic self."

 

"I know he's fine," Mark replies, thinking of the messages Jackson would send him every other day.

 

Yugyeom stares back at him, eyes dark and brooding. "Spill it." He says with such ferocity that Mark swallows hard, eyes glazing at his blood covered fingers.

  
"I killed Kunpimook," he offers in a tiny voice fists clenched.

  
"I know you did," and Mark sees the hurt in those eyes and cringes because he had been the reason for it. "And I am so very sorry that you had to go through that."

 

"I killed my brother, but the things he did to Jackson and to the other poor souls were something that I could never imagine coming from him." Yugyeom is nodding by the time he lets this out, clearly trying his best not to cry, and Mark runs a hand trough his hair in frustration, in hurt and desperation. "I can't stop thinking that maybe there was another way to handle the situation, and I know, that everyone blames me for what I did, but my orders were to get the package and the device, no matter what. And I did." He says with an icy shiver running through his body.

 

When their gazes connect again, Yugyeom gives him an incredulous glance, eyebrows furrowed in a sentiment that Mark cannot quite figure out what it is. It continues like that for the rest of the trip, Yugyeom looking at him and not uttering a word, making Mark believe that he is right, they do after all blame him for everything, despite him be doing his job. When had he become such a cold and frigid person, that not even killing one of his own made him shed a tear?

 

He opens the back door just as the van falters to a halt in front of the office.

  
"Mark," Yugyeom calls after him. "You should take some time out, it's dangerous when you start to think like that."

  
-

  
Mark was not supposed to be on this mission, Jackson was. He was the one that should be accompanying Jinyoung, but Mark got called at the last moment, and just by thinking of Youngjae or Yugyeom on a field trip with Jinyoung makes him worried. Not because Jinyoung would hurt anyone dear to him, no, he only does that to Jackson, but Mark is not ready to let the youngsters out of his sight.

  
He as to force down a yawn when Jinyoung gives him a look. " _Oi Tuan, you're wasting time_." Jaebum's voice filtered through the earpiece. Mark smirks and Jinyoung enters the last password into the keypad, the door sliding open, letting him get a sight of what is inside. He keeps close to the wall, gesturing Jinyoung to follow him.

 

"Alright, the Package must be easy to spot, it has to be contained in a way that permits you to check whether the liquid's still inside," Jaebum warns them.

 

Jinyoung mouths a wow to Mark and he nods in silent agreement. The vault was full to the brim, shiny gold bars, dozens and dozens of silver pieces, all kind of relics that could be found in a museum. Paintings, vases, old guns, weird looking glass figures, oh and there it is. Feeling out of place a small dark blue suitcase, a red liquid inside the transparent container.

  
Mark moves to get a hand on the package they can't waste a moment, but someone grabs his arm and wrenches it upward. He raises his left arm and blocks a punch aimed at his face, Mark hooks his foot about the man's knees as his right arm is slammed against the wall. In spite of himself, the impact and the grinding grip on his wrist force him to drop the gun, so it clatters to the floor. Not one to stay still, he sweeps the man's legs out from under him and gets the targets arm in a lock, with a swift movement he breaks the man's arm.

  
" _Package safe and sound_ ;" Jinyoung breaths out. Mark blinks when everything he hears its static over his earpiece and shares a glance with Jinyoung, rolls to the floor and manages to evade a bullet that whizzes past his neck, missing him by a hair and embedding itself in the reinforced steel wall of the vault.

 

"If you're going to shoot, please don't miss and let the target learn where you are," Jinyoung taunts. Quickly and unexpectedly pain explodes behind his eyes, and Jinyoung's body crashes to the hard and rough floor. The cold seeping through his clothes through his skin to the very core of his bones He could feel his opponent's presence looming over him, he felt the blade coming down more than he saw it.

  
The cock of the hammer of the gun was deafeningly loud in the dark.

  
-

  
Mark as been out of the job for almost a month now, he decided it was time to take some time out to heal. He has as been living with Jinyoung, it's sort of like being at home again, a feeling that leaves him nostalgic and also frequently annoyed. He's twenty-five years old for god's sake. He really shouldn't be chastised for not making his bed or put his dirty clothes in the hamper.

 

Mark can hear Jinyoung's exasperated sigh through the wall, and smiles. Jinyoung's has been working with Jackson. The pairing of the perpetually sadistic but still somewhat lovely Park Jinyoung and the laid back and hyper Jackson Wang is absolutely hysterical, and Mark can sometimes hear Jinyoung shouting about the dangers of using a grenade launcher in closed quarters.

  
There's a sudden, loud string of curses from the other room, which had shocked Mark at first because who knew Jinyoung possessed such a colorful vocabulary?

  
" _Wang, no_!" Jinyoung shouts, " _Do not touch the... you fucking touched it! What did I tell you_?"

  
" _Oh, fuck me_ ," Jackson muttered.

  
" _Probably not a good idea, team dynamics and all_ ," said Jinyoung. " _And if you're going to get yourself taken care of keep Jaebum out of it_."

  
" _Screw Jaebum_."

  
Jinyoung made a face. " _Also not a good idea_." Mark laughs to himself, and Jinyoung launches into a lecture which Mark is sure that Jackson is paying absolutely zero attention to. "How did you ever worked with him?" Jinyoung says with an indignant and mildly accusative tone.

  
Mark shrugs of with a; _Was he supposed to be locked behind that door_ ; and leaves the room quickly, before Jinyoung sees that he was messing with him.

  
Jaebum did not take lightly when he found out that Mark had been forging his own psych evaluation. The last drop was probably the; _For an intelligence agency, you are terrible at protecting agent information profiles_ , that Mark throws to his leader's face. Jaebum didn't yell at him, no, he yanked Mark by his shirt and dragged him all the way up to the psychologist area, a fierce look on his face that screamed; _don't you dare to put your ass in here until you work your shit out_.

 

Mark knows, though, the heavy feeling of guilt and blame that he experiences whenever he thinks about it, will take a very long time to vanish, and it always is something lingering around. He killed one of his best friends, yes, but he also stayed there waiting for orders instead of going and save Jackson right away. If he had done that, maybe everyone would be happier. But he did not, so he is doing his best to deal with those deplorable thoughts and ideas.

 

-

  
_Kunpimook takes a folding knife from the metal tray next to him. He flips it in his hands a few times, and Mark sees the glint of the instrument, so bright and shiny in the darkness of the basement. He hears Jackson gasp softly when his face is grabbed in a rough grip._

  
_"You look so lovely like this," Kunpimook whispers, dragging the knife slowly down Jackson's neck. Mark cringes with disgust when he sees Kunpimook smearing the blood between his fingers, a look of fascination on his expression at the drip drip drip of the blood._

  
Mark sits up, hand going for the gun he has under his pillow, breath ragged and torn with suffering. He doesn't move for a long while, too tired and sick to even lift another finger, tears are streaming down his face until he turns and screams into the pillow. The thoughts whirl in his head faster and faster and the only thing he can do is grin and bear it and that's the last thing he feels like doing. It was true, though, everything he sees in these nightmares was nothing more than the purest and plainspoken true. He wants Jackson, how much he misses the dork, it's a raw and burning feeling that starts on his toes and travels all over his body, engulfing him in a cascade of pain. How did things get to this point? Mark can't even talk to his best friend without choking on an aggregation of feelings.

 

Without even noticing, he is moving to his phone, fingers already punching in the number he knows by heart. He clicks the call button quickly, afraid of losing his courage if he stares at it for long. The call connects and he waits, hands shaky, afraid, so afraid. Of being denied and ignored. Blamed and disregarded. He hears when Jackson picks up the call, but the other doesn't say a word, like Mark he just stays there listening to his breathing, and somehow, in the middle of this entire mess, Mark feels protected and safe, just for hearing Jackson's shooting breath on the other side of the phone. He opens his mouth, trying to let out anything, everything, a word, a sound. _I'm sorry_. Mark whispers in his head like a mantra. _Sorry, so sorry_.

  
" _I don't blame you_ ," Jackson rasps out, and Mark can see him licking his lips in anticipation for what is coming next.

  
"But I do," he answers with a broken sob, pathetic really, he is a professional, why he is acting this way? It's all in the line of the business, they work hand to hand with death, torture, pain, he should be used to it by now.

  
" _You saved me_ ," Jackson answers again, almost feeling like he is admonishing Mark, telling him to see the true and stop being so stubborn.

  
"Did I?"

  
" _I want to strangle you, grab your pretty face on my hands and smooch it all over with my saliva, because, Mark, I'm alive and you made that possible_."

 

"I'm sorry." He gasps out, not able to hold his tears anymore.

 

That night Mark cries, he does it for a very long time, but in the end, it's all worth it because he falls asleep to Jackson's soft and warm reassurances.

 

-

  
"Excellent," Mark says, a little too many teeth showing for his smile to be genuine. "I'll be in touch."He says to the target, with a flourish of his hand, quickly going away.

 

" _That was incredible_!" Youngjae breathes in amazement over the ear piece. " _Even I believed you! It was like…so amazing_!"

  
" _It's not that hard once you know what to look for,_ " Mark says with a shrug, shoving his hands in his pockets, looking around the place with fake interest.

  
" _I think the fact that he was fabulously gay and you are not that terrible looking, may have helped the deal_." Yugyeom joins in.

  
" _What_?" Mark gasps, he does not want to have this talk, not now, not ever.

  
" _Please, do not tell me you didn't see it_ " Jinyoung snorts and Mark cannot help to think that they are having a blast at his costs. " _The way he couldn't stop staring at your ass_."

  
His hands make an unconscious move towards his behind before he is able to stop himself, the sound of laughs reaches his ears. He is tempted to give them the middle finger, but Mark is too much of a professional to let that get to him. So what if he as a nice ass? Jinyoung is certainly not one to talk, with a bottom of that size...

  
" _I'm out to the evacuation point_." He says as a mean to end the talk and receives the roger from Jaebum, who gives him the safest route. He is outside, close to the picking point, when he hears the sound of footsteps behind him. He quickens his pace, left hand going to his gun.

 

Mark sees a brief glimpse of leather and the scent of a familiar cologne. Barely a second after there is a hand on his shoulders, and he does what his brain tells him to, react to the threat. He pulls his arm away, uses his upper body to swing his elbow hitting his captor in the nose, the crunch of cartilage giving away under his arm makes him satisfied. It was supposed to be the throat but who cares, Mark just want people to leave him alone and stop to try to kill him. He is already walking away when a small whine of; "Mark, what the fuck," registers in his brain.

  
It's Jackson. Mark stays rooted, not moving an inch, barely breathing any air. Jackson is here, right in front of him and part of him wants to run away, but the other half wants nothings more than to stay. Stay and resolve every single problem they have, stay and have another minute of what they used to share, the friendship, companionship, the so much more that he cannot even begin to explain with words or gestures.

 

"Mother, father, Jesus Christ, Mark. My nose."

  
Ah, Mark truly missed Jackson, more than anything. He furrows a brow in an expression of disapproval, and drags Jackson to the shadow, checking out the perimeter. He relaxes when he doesn't see anything unusual and extends a tissue that he found in his pocket to Jackson. "Why the hell would you grab someone like that! Do you want to get killed?"

 

"Sorry about—" Mark cups Jackson's face in his hand, pressing fingers gently to the bloody nose. "You need a nose job."

  
"You are such a jerk."

  
That was, _after four months_ , the first time they saw each other.

  
-

  
"So," Jackson said with an awkward wave of his hands, resting against the front closed door of his apartment.

 

"Yeah," Mark responded, anxiety eating his words. He didn't know since when had they become so foreign to each other that they could barely be in the same space without the suffocating feeling that someone, or something, was waiting for them to talk it out. It made Mark nervous, how Jackson would glance at him every other moment, waiting for Mark to say or do anything, but in reality, all Mark wanted was to feel Jackson's skin under him, over him. He wants to trail his fingers all over, dig his fingernails wherever, Mark wants Jackson.

 

"How have you been?" Jackson stops his inner monolog rubbing his neck.

 

"Totally Fine."

 

"Me too."

  
"I'm glad." Seemed that two-word sentences were the longest thing leaving their mouth.

 

"Yeah."

  
"Huh," Mark nodded swiftly, eyes locking with Jackson's one. He stared at the other, trying to convey all his feelings, words, sentiments, with one look. I'm afraid, Jackson, so afraid. I'm a coward.

  
"Stop looking at me like that." Jackson cringed. "I can't read you damn mind, Mark. You need to tell me what you want."

  
Mark nodded, but it was a weary gesture, almost like he was giving up, letting go. He reached a hand to pull Jackson closer, and he doesn't think once about what they've been through. His world narrows to Jackson's hair, Jackson's lips, Jackson's small sighs when Mark kisses him again and again. And Mark thinks that maybe this is what he needed all along, what they needed all along, something to make their world a little warmer and gracious.

 

"Inside," Mark gasps, when Jackson moves down to his neck, biting on it hard. "Jackson, come on, open the damn door."

  
"Kind of hard when your hands," Jackson groans, "are squeezing my ass that way, it's highly distracting."

  
Huh, he doesn't even know how those got there. "It's a nice ass," Mark shrugs and Jackson laughs at that. He grabs Mark's hand and starts pulling him up the front steps. He unlocks the front door, and then Mark is, somehow, leaning back on a sofa.

  
"Do you know how beautiful you are," Jackson says. "All you have to do is stare blankly off into space and people flock at your feet."

  
Mark gives him a weird look, half amused, half annoyed. "You suck."

  
Jackson grins at him because he walked right into it. "I do, actually. Really well, I bet you missed it."

  
Mark swallows hard at that, his smile falling in an instant. Jackson's hands tighten around his waist as if he's worried Mark might try to escape. "What are we going to do?" He asks quietly.

  
Dark eyes close and, Jackson looks as if they were caught up in something he could neither understand nor control. Everything was so new and frightening, and Mark clenches his jaw at the whispered reply of; I don't know.

Mark's eyes held a bright flare of shock at Jackson's uncertainty, but it faded fast, replaced with a gleam of determination. "We'll work something out."

This was how it should be, no questions and doubts, and suddenly Jackson could see how Mark had never considered failure an option, he may have faltered in his quests, but his belief was rock steady, with only the certainty that they would all get through this.

  
"You know our lives will never be monotone," Jackson says against Mark's lips.

  
"As long as you always stick to my plans, I think we'll be just fine." Mark feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

  
Jackson reaches out, his fingers brushing the side of his face, thumb caressing Mark's cheek. Jackson leans in close, breath warm against Mark's lips. "We're going to be okay, Mark," He murmurs softly, "I promise."

  
And then Jackson's arms are around his neck, and Jackson's chest is pressed against his. It's warm and fuzzy and Mark has the opportunity to appreciate just how good it feels to be close to Jackson like this again.

 

"Hug me back, you jerk," Jackson says, and Mark realizes with a start that his arms are still hanging limply at his sides. He throws them around Jackson's back, one hand traveling beneath his shirt, scratching at the skin.

 

"That's more like it," Jackson murmurs. His lips brush against Mark's cheek and they are soft, they calmed him down, those lips carry the promise of their future together, for the good and bad. Mark tightens his hold on Jackson, trying to bring him close, to assure that he understands.

 

And Jackson lets him.

-

Mark watches Jackson walk towards the front of the bank and he can feel the dark smirk under his mask, after so long in the business, Mark knows how Jackson operates, the joy he takes out on doing his job. Jackson incapacitates the guard on duty and Mark hears the sickening sound of bone breaking when a gun connects with a forehead. For his size, Jackson is swift, his other hand reaching to the others throat, pressuring his vagus nerve. He then handcuffs the unconscious guard, tucks the stolen handgun on his belt, and stops to do a 'V' sign with his fingers for Mark to see.

 

" _Fucking hurry_." Mark hisses over the line and Jackson waves this time.

  
" _Don't be so uptight, I will be famous in about half an hour_ ," Jackson watches the remaining employees, counting the guards, two on the first floor, probably more upstairs. Jaebum had to feed some footage to the cameras, but Mark cannot help but feel anxious. Jackson would always do stuff the hard way, and Mark would be left to worry. " _I wish they'd use my good angle this time around though_."

 

" _What good angle_?" Mark sniffs out.

  
Later on, Mark is on the bench, eyes moving every sharp and sudden movement in front of him.  Where Jaebum is fluid, Jinyoung is fast. He strikes quick and hard, barely leaving time for reaction. Most of the time he is awed by their skills, how they make it so simple looking, something that probably took years and years of exhaustive training. Jackson likes to join him when he  stays back to see Jinyoung and Jaebum, he sits next to Mark, thigh to thigh, firing quick comments of how they are doing. It's perfect, and in the end Yugyeom and Youngjae also appear, between Youngjae whistles and Yugyeom's cries of _duck mom,_ Mark can finally see how much he missed this, now, if _someone_ wasn't missing from the scene it would be perfect.

 

_The end_

 

 _Hope you enjoyed this :_ )


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